Biggest scam you didn’t know was a scam

[Sillysausage2]

Lighthearted 😂
I saw an Instagram post earlier about the biggest thing you don’t realise is a scam and we all accept as normal.
We all have stories about how our parents raised 7 kids etc in a 3 bed if they were lucky, my grandparents had 9 in a 2 bed 😂
the aim for everyone now is buying or building massive houses, 3 en suites at least, we spend the weekends in Ikea, home bargain etc buying shit we don’t need and cleaning the houses with the 4 bathrooms!
I swear I’ve spent more Time cleaning the legs of chairs than is reasonable and I seem to wash the walls of my bathroom far more than people ever mentioned.
I don’t remember my mother ever cleaning the panelling on the walls.
is it all a scam? Are we busy fools?
sometimes I got to centre Parcs like places and think how simple my life would be if we al only had one suitcase each

I love Netflix and find it well worth it.
I'm not a member of the gym at the moment. I jog outside, which also has its costs (warmer leggings than you need for the gym, for example), but I'd go back to the gym if I wanted to try something else. We are not active enough in general so gyms are good.

Well, no, if you're just two people, just decide to only use one of the toilets? The other one would only need to be dusted very occasionally, maybe flushed to check the water is working there...

Well said.

I always used to laugh how everyone in EastEnders getz married two months after the proposal, with the reception in the queen Vic. But now, I think that's so lovely. So simple, just friends and family around plus a bit of effort. No build up, no drama (well apart from the groom going missing on the stag do and some kind of audacious affair being exposed at the reception...😂)

I read recently that all the inventions to save time on domestic drudgery such as washing machines, Hoovers etc that were intended to free up people's time have had the effect of just making us have cleaner clothes and houses, same or similar amount of drudge Also technology was supposed to give workers more leisure time but on the whole workers work full time but technological efficiencies increase profit margins for the business owners.

What I meant was - why is the woman cleaning 3 toilets and the man no toilets?

My mother wont throw anything away even if she cant use it if it cost a lot of money.

They had a rug that my father kept tripping on. Not his fault, he has various heallth issues and is almost blind. I kept trying to get her to get rid of it and she said "But it was expensive". It eventually went when he fell and really hurt himself and I got mad and said "Nice that you value your expensive rug over your husbands safety".

I agree that storage solutions are a scam. "Buy more shit to store the other shit you dont need". My mother is always going on about needing more storage, no she needs less stuff! There are four old PC monitors in the loft for example but "they might come in handy one day".

Engagement parties happened even in the 80s and 90s. Not really a new thing.
However, I've only even been to one engagement party in my life and that was ten years ago to a couple who are still not married.

Yes, I know, but why do they need to use all the toilets is my question? If they only used one, they would have a half each to clean (every other time).

The idea that women need a pink version of everything, and then charging a premium for it.
I buy Bodyglide from sports websites to prevent summer chub rub when wearing dresses. Brilliant stuff. Came in a blue twist up container. Now they have a PINK one, with "For Her" printed on it. It's exactly the same stuff but it's always more expensive. Also razors. I don't care if my razor is pink and I don't want to pay more just because it is.

Your DM is a hoarder probably, bust most of us are to some extent. With the rug it's the sunk cost fallacy and we all believe it to some extent.

In fairness, engagement parties did used to be a thing. My mother (married 1970) said it was because usually the wedding was organised by the parents so they controlled the guest list, venue etc and the couple didnt have much input. The only thing my mother chose was her dress and flowers. Her and my father were told how many friends they could invite and that was that!

The engagement party was more low key and relaxed and the couple had more of their friends/work mates there who probably wouldnt make the cut for the wedding.

I remember engagement parties until the early 90's, they seemed to die off after that.

"My mother (married 1970) said it was because usually the wedding was organised by the parents so they controlled the guest list, venue etc and the couple didnt have much input."

That's interesting. I presumed they happened because people got married earlier and sometimes had long engagements so the wedding might have been a long time in the future.

Filler
Botox
Mahoosive lip fillers. My daughter is naturally beautiful with lovely lips, yet even she has had them done! Crazy and expensive!

thats the thing, she would dispute this! Because there is a place for everything and everything is in its place.

You wouldnt go into her house and think "Wow, hoarder house!". You would think "what a nice neat home" But the loft is full, they have 5 (yes 5) wardrobes between them, a full linen cupboard with more towels sheets and and duvet covers than your average hotel and they keep buying more stuff. I think the buying comes from boredom and the keeping it comes from guilt at having spent a lot on something that they now dont or cant use.

I think it is more "sunk costs" than hoarding.

That sounds a lot more reasonable! The last few I’ve been to have been all the same people that would be at the wedding. You’re just standing around talking to people about how they met the couple on repeat. Then there’s the hen do which has evolved from a night out to a drawn-out, expensive series of days spent doing forced fun with the same people (well, the same women). Only to go to the wedding to talk to people about the couple…same faces and convos at the baby shower a year later…

I increasingly feel like I’m being forced to spend time with my friends’ friends, than my own friends.

I used to love those catalogues and did buy things, before the internet

The loveliness of a wedding bears only some relation to the amount spent on it. One of my favourites was a church wedding with village hall reception which had a (very good) buffet, followed by an ice-cream bicycle and some live music. It was the jolly, friendly atmosphere which made it so special - yes, it was a day with treats and people dressed up, but also relatively informal. That same year we went to one in a huge castle where the seating had tables named after the expensive places the bride and groom had been on holiday. Not nearly as much fun!

I think many older people living in what was previously the family home have too much stuff, whether they're officially hoarders or not. Just think of all the garages not used for cars, but for junk.

Overhead a man today who was telling someone that his upcoming nuptials have cost £45k. £45k!!

My attic is EMPTY!!! and I don't care who knows it

Well in my house my husband and I have our own loos which we are responsible for keeping clean and that works pretty well so I think 2 is the optimum number.

the so called Beauty Hall in my local and massive Boots is rammed with skin care, hair care, perfume and what seems like endless brands of make-up. If only one tenth of this stuff fulfilled its promises, we would all be walking around looking like eternally youthful super models with bouncy swishy hair, firm, glowing, wrinkle-free skin, and flawless features.

We probably look a bit better with these things than without them though. Otherwise, we'd stop buying them, wouldn't we?

I try hard to only ever buy the things that I need, and to only replace things when they're worn out.

I only have two bags, a smart leather messenger bag and a rucksack.

I don't buy things like 'bathroom cleaner' or 'kitchen spray', I just use washing up liquid and bleach as necessary, and occasionally limescale remover as I live in a hard water area. I don't understand what all the various cleaners are supposed to do or why I should use them over washing up liquid.

I don't have a lot of storage space, and what I do have is mostly taken up by drying racks and my second duvet, and things I buy in bulk if they're on offer like coffee, loo roll etc.

I don't buy lots of cosmetics or toiletries. I use a basic moisturiser which I also use under my eyes (eye cream is a scam IMO), a prescription retinoid, and a couple of cleansers (I use both types if I've worn makeup). I've tried various serums and acids in the past but I didn't find they improved my skin in any noticeable way.

Beauty companies are always bringing out new products claiming to do this and that. But if they did the things they claim to do then there'd be no need to develop new products.

That said, I do buy my cat a lot of toys.